Muneshige Tachibana
Muneshige Tachibana (立花 宗茂, Tachibana Muneshige) is a former student of Tres España's Alcalá de Henares and the husband of Gin Tachibana, also from the same school. He was assigned on 1st Special Duty of Alcalá de Henares' Student Council and was one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings as the owner of the Mortal Sin Armament Lypē Katathlipsē. Following his series of defeats against key members of Musashi's student body, he is currently stripped of his position in the Student Council of Alcalá de Henares and finally, he defects to Musashi with his wife, where both now holds the position of Assistant Vice Chancellors. Appearance Muneshige Tachibana is a blonde blue eyed youth with a very serious but amiable look. He wears the standard Tres España uniform with little modifications, those being the lack of sleeves a protection gauntlet on his left arm and a emphasis on leg protection with bigger shin guards on them. Another peculiarity on his clothing is his backpack where he keeps his pre-prepared Acceleration spells. When used, it's four ranures release ether powder into the air. Personality The Peerless of the West is just straighforward, honorable and trustworthy man, but he seems unable to understand women, leading to funny situations with his wife. As he's that knightly to her, Gin thinks that he should be more aggresive and smutty on their personal relationship, something that Muneshige seems to be unaware of. As a samurai, Muneshige never put his personal interests before the duty, but he always show compassion on the battlefield, sparing Futayo life when he knocks her down once or telling Musashi crew evacuate Musashi before he fires his Armament of Deadly Sins. Background Muneshige Tachibana won his Inherited Name fighting in a duel with Gin Tachibana, a combat which determined their roles in History Recreation. In the battle, Muneshige sliced off both of Gin's arms and lost the duel; as a result, she would eventually become Muneshige's wife as the person who will inherit the name of Ginchiyo Tachibana. But before that, he was a Tres España postman who inherited the name of García de Ceballos, a well-known person in the Ceballos region member of the family that handled the privatization of the postal system. He approached the Tachibana household to inherit the name of Muneshige Tachibana and the title of the "Peerless of the West" in possesion of Dousetsu Tachibana. He was made to fight against Gin, but he was a weakling and Gin effortessly won after a few hits. He began to work in the area as a mailman and never ceased in his intent, coming to the Tachibana household every week and losing soundly time after time. Even so, he was pretty chatty, talking to Gin and joking to the point that her found him really annoying. That annoyance turned into ouright disgust when she found that this person wanted to take the name Muneshige Tachibana for himself so she hated him so much that she repeatedly beaten him with a wooden sword to severe injuries all the time, fueled with hatred and disgust. But even when the wooden sword turned into a metal rod and finally a real sword, even when he broke his arms and ribs, even when she poisoned his food, he was still coming time after time. After countless battles, García eventually became more and more stronger, learning acceleration spells and the basic of battle from observing the Tachibana. At the very last fight, even when Gin was attempting to kill him because he was taking away what she work all her life for, she unexpectedly warned him when she was firing her cannon. He of course, succesfully evaded her attacks, destroyed her cannons and won, freeing her from her secluded awfully driven life and released from the from her burden, giving her the chance to yearn to her own mundane happiness. After the duel, Gin grew to love him more than anything, and the married couple become very famous in the Divine States as renowned warriors and top officers of Tres España. Plot 'Mikawa Meltdown Incident' April 20, 1648 - Testament Era Tres España's forces, including Muneshige and his wife Gin, are assigned as Pope-President Innocentius' escorts for his visit in Mikawa. At this period, the two Tachibanas spend the day in their battleships acting as scouts for anything suspicious. That night, Muneshige notices a pillar of light that erupted from the Shin-Nagoya Castle. In order to determine what caused the spectacle, he follows his wife's advice of examining the event closely, and as Gin trails behind, Muneshige encounters Tadakatsu Honda near Shin-Nagoya Castle. Muneshige is forced to fight against Tadakatsu after discovering that the pillar of light is caused by a meltdown initiated by Lord Motonobu Matsudaira of Mikawa. Although Muneshige possesses the Lypē Katathlipsē, which is the refined version of Tadakatsu's weapon, the Tonbokiri, Tadakatsu's experience in handling his weapon cost Muneshige a painful defeat from his hands. Tachibana is later taken by his wife back to their ship to undergo recovery after Muneshige severely injured his right calf in his battle with Tadakatsu Honda. 'Horizon Rescue Campaign' April 21, 1648 - Testament Era After a speedy recovery, Muneshige attends a press conference with the Mikawa Security Corps, led by Futayo Honda, and a handover of the Tonbokiri, which was given by Tadakatsu to Gin after Muneshige's defeat, took place. Although Futayo refused to humbly receive the Tonbokiri from the forces of Tres España, Muneshige manages to avoid an unnecessary battle between his side and Mikawa's. The two Tachibanas later watch the student contention between Masazumi Honda and the decision of Musashi Ariadust Academy's Chancellor and Student Council President Toori Aoi to rescue Horizon Ariadust, who is currently under the custody of the Testament Union. Due to the success of Toori Aoi to persuade Musashi Ariadust Academy to initiate his plan to rescue Horizon Ariadust (now the automaton P-01s), Muneshige once again joins the opposition. Muneshige faces Futayo Honda a second time after the handing-over ceremony of the Tonbokiri earlier. Although Muneshige was swift enough to deal a victory over Futayo, the latter's skill in handling the Tonbokiri in unexpected ways caused Muneshige to suffer a defeat in the hands of Futayo. Despite claiming a win over the person who fought her father during his final moments, Futayo spared Muneshige's life and humbly admitted that her victory was only possible due to her father's intervention (slicing the name of Garcia de Ceballos, which granted Muneshige his impressive speed) before leaving to help Musashi's forces break through the Testament Union's forces. The defeat of Muneshige against key citizens of the Far East caused Juana, then Student Council Vice President of Alcalá de Henares, to issue a dismissal of Muneshige from his position as 1st Special Duty and strips him of his title of "Peerless of the West". During this period, Muneshige remains unconscious, undergoing procedures that would remove impurities from his injured legs while his wife Gin continues to nurse him. 'Anglo-Spanish Armada War' During the entirety of the preparation of Tres España for the historical recreation of the Anglo-Spanish Armada War, Muneshige continues his recovery, still unconscious from his battles from the two Hondas from Mikawa. Meanwhile, it is revealed that his title of "Peerless of the West" is planned to be used as a bargaining chip to gain financial aid from the Hashibas of M.H.R.R. Gin tries to regain her husband honor and to avoid his discharge from duties, but at the end fails, losing her battle with Futayo Honda during the Armada Battle. June 7, 1648 - Testament Era Muneshige awakes shortly after the battle, and when Felipe Segundo tells him than Gin had not come back from Musashi he yell "Amore!" five times and ran through Hexagone Française and arrived to Musashi during the nightly bonfire party at the main deck. Then he suggests Gin to both relinquish their inherited names and someday when he's strong enough to be the true Peerless Man of the West and succeed again the name Muneshige Tachibana, she will be his Gin Tachibana. After that Muneshige Tachibana, in the middle of his procedure in disinheriting a name, and Gin Tachibana, who requested to disinherit her name, transfered into the Musashi Ariadust Academy as Tres Españan exchange students, and also became residents of the Musashi as Assistant Vice Chancellors. Abilities Muneshige is a Strike Forcer · Proximity Military Arts User (近接武術師 · ストライクフォーサー, Kinsetsu Bujutsu-shi · Sutoraikufōsā), which focuses on close-quarters combat, and his weapon of specialty are polearm-type weapons, which the Mortal Sin Armament Lype Katathlipse is used as one. With the help of his naturally impressive speed, combined with the inherited name of Garcia de Ceballos and further augmentations to his speed by using Acceleration spells, he is simply outmatched by no one in the battlefield, befitting his title of "Peerless in the West". Muneshige have the greatest combat speed in Tres España. According to the Testament descriptions, Garcia de Ceballos whose name he had inherited was a man of the postal system. Muneshige viewed that power as being one of high-speed movement and actions. While studying the military arts, he had also earned a fortune supported by the Testament descriptions by working as a mensajero. However, after many twists and turns, he had trained as a warrior and gained Tachibana Muneshige as a double inherited name. For that reason, Muneshige had possessed the power of speed before he began fighting. A divine speed that he could move to a more advantageous position, increase the force of his attacks and instantly evade any attack. After training both his speed and combat skills, he had appeared on countless battlefields and learned to control that instantaneous speed so that it did not destroy his body. His results in battle were appropriate for the man the Testament descriptions called the Peerless in the West, as speed was the single thing he had to live up to being the Peerless in the West.Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 1A - Chapter 19: He who Dashes through the Air Muneshige, by himself, is quicker and more agile than an average fighter. He has shown that he can cover several feet in a single leap, and can evade a flurry of attacks while keeping himself in a safe distance (even if he's still unable to walk through a vertical wall without spells), adding to that his acceleration spells, a very few number of people in the Divine States can match him at pure speed. However, most of these boosts to his speed are now permanently unattainable after Tadakatsu Honda sliced the name of Garcia de Ceballos, taking away its power from him. *'Inherited Name: God Speed, Garcia de Ceballos' (「神速」ガルシア・デ・セヴァリョス, "Shinsoku" Garushia de Sevuaryosu) - He was granted the power of Garcia de Ceballos, who was famous in Spain's postal history. Having this name under his possession allowed him to reach superhuman speeds, making him a dangerous foe to face. This name was "sliced" by Tadakatsu Honda during their battle in Shin-Nagoya Castle and is rendered powerless. *'Mortal Sin Armament: Lype Katathlipse' ("悲嘆の怠惰" · リピ・カタスリプシ, Hitan no Taida · Ripi Katasuripushi) - One of two Mortal Sin Armaments assigned to Tres España, this weapon represents Anguish. Its Normal Drive allows the user to "slice" objects by reflecting the target on the blade, tangible and intangible alike. He can give himself a tactical advantage by using its "slicing" effect in different situations. As its specified owner, he is also able to use its Hyper Drive, fireing out an initial path-setting laser, before releasing a giant energy beam that shreds apart the existence of everything in its designated path of 2 kilometres as an expression of Anguish. After his defeat by Futayo Honda, Muneshige loses this Armament to Musashi, as well as his title as a Great Dragon Lord. Whether he can use it any longer is unknown. *'Holy Ability: Acceleration Spells' (加速術, Kasoku-jutsu) - Full name, Short-termed Decisive Battle, High-Power "Acceleration Spells" (短期決戦、高出力型の“加速術”, Tanki kessen, Kōshutsuryoku-gata no “Kasoku-jutsu”)Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Encylopedia Chapter 2 - Character: Tachibana Muneshige p.357. Muneshige's speed is achieved thanks to the acceleration of the Testamento Firma, controlling it with his body. A Testamento Firma is normally carried out by using a spell contract obtained at a church in exchange for Catholic-style devotions or an offering of Worship. By stamping the written seal of approval it would activate and disappear, so catholic contracts are disposable, but they were highly effective and did not consume any of the user's Worship when used. Muneshige's spell contracts were compressed to the size of a postage stamp and tens of thousands of them were stored in a cartridge below the radiator on his back. This spell have two effects, to raise the speed of his physical body and to create multiple simultaneous footholds below his feet so when he stepped on the ground in order to run, he would be stepping on those many footholds simultaneously. Creating five simultaneously multiplied his speed by five, ten at once multiplied it by ten. As both of these were powerful spells, so they were not something that could be used in units of tens of thousands. However, Muneshige had used the fortune earned through the occupation he had inherited to alter the spell such that it was possible, setting the spell up so that it gave no thought to recoil. Lessening the recoil would have made the spell more expensive, less effective, and more complex, so he had lowered the unit cost by eliminating that portion and shortened the active time so that the acceleration only lasted an instant. Those alterations allowed him to cheaply achieve high speeds with a great number of instantaneous accelerations, but his body take the full burden. It hurts his organs, affects his vision, and numbs his arms and legs. When used, the spell contract cartridge on his back vibrates and the scraps of the used compressed contracts scattered from the ejection port of the device, looking like ash or scattered scraps of light. **'Holy Ability: Air Kick' (大気蹴り, Taiki Keri) - If needed, Muneshige can carry out an acceleration method he had never used before and had never even thought of before, to step on the air to accelerate in midair, as he does during his fight against Honda Tadakatsu. The method is simple, air is not completely empty, it has the moisture of humidity and it the minute pieces of dust. During the Mikawa meltdown, the Earth Pulse expression and Lype Katathlipse's earlier overdrive had left an abundance of dust in the air. But even that was far from being enough to use as a normal foothold, as to step on that dust and accelerate would require thousands or even tens of thousands of accelerations in an instant. Muneshige's acceleration spell used charms, so they produced massive and instantaneous effects, but put a great burden on his body, damaging his body if he goes too far. During that fight, Muneshige estimated the necessary level of acceleration on instinct alone, so he accelerated seventeen thousand steps' at once, placing on his right leg seventeen thousand steps worth of burden, bursting his muscles, bones and tendons but accelerating so fast he was able to kick off the air and leap while wrapped in the shimmering of heat and a band of light, reaching Tadakatsu's back in an instant. Relationship Tres España *Gin Tachibana: Wife *Juana: Ally Rival *Futayo Honda Inherited Names 'Tachibana Muneshige' (1567 - 1642) Tachibana Muneshige (December 18, 1567 – November 15, 1643) was the son of Takahashi Shigetane and was adopted by Tachibana Dosetsu, marrying Tachibana Ginchiyo. He defended Tachibana castle against the Shimazu in 1586 and readily sided with Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587 to help defeat them. He was afterwards given Yanagawa castle in Chikugo province (worth some 120,000 koku) and led 2,500 men in Kobayakawa Takakage's command in the First Korean Campaign. In 1586, Shimazu Tadatane and Ijuin Tadamune invaded Chikuzen province with an army of 20,000, initiating the Siege of Iwaya. Muneshige, who was stationed within Ayama Castle and knew that Shigetane was at Iwaya Castle, wanted to send reinforcements to his father. He was stopped by Yoshida Sakyo, who faced death in Muneshige's stead. Shigetane and Sakyo died with the over 500 retainers at Iwaya Castle. Shimazu Yoshihisa then ordered his men to take Ayama Castle. Muneshige defended his position bravely by relying on surprise attacks to drive the Shimazu back. At one point, he led a surprise attack on the Shimazu main camp and decapitated several enemy soldiers. The Shimazu army suffered from fatigue and withdrew. Muneshige pursued them, capturing one of the Shimazu positions and retaking two of their castles. After the Shimazu army retreated, the Toyotomi army of 20,000 appeared in Kyūshū. Muneshige took an active role in the following campaign to suppress Kyūshū, mainly involved with negotiating peace with their opposition. When the Shimazu surrendered in 1587, Muneshige was rewarded with Yanagawa Castle, owning 132,200 koku. With his new wealth, the Tachibana declared independence from their masters, the Ōtomo clan. When Sassa Narimasa experienced riots in Kyūshū, Muneshige volunteered to stop the insurrections and helped with the pacification efforts. He met Kobayakawa Takakage and his adopted son, Kobayakawa Motofusa. Both men served with great renown and took a liking to one another when they shared similar accomplishments. Motofusa and Muneshige became sworn brothers and they were both promoted a year later. After serving in the Siege of Odawara, Toyotomi Hideyoshi praised him further and he earned the admiration of several daimyo present. The Taikō declared, "Just as how the east has Honda Tadakatsu as the greatest warrior of the land, the west surely has Muneshige for the same right." During the the conquest of China's Ming Dynasty by way of Korea, Muneshige was a captain to one of the six 2,500 squadrons with Kobayakawa Takakage during the first invasion. They initially planned to capture Jeolla and sail south from Chungcheong, but they were fiercely pushed back and defeated several times near Geumsan by the Chinese armies led by Zu Chengxun. Since neither army could gain a stronger foothold over the other, both sides were forced into a deadlock. Muneshige tried to barricade the roads in Muju County in an effort to protect his troops. However, since soldiers were still in the midst of being transported, his plan failed and he could not maintain his position in Korea. In 1597, Muneshige continued to act as a defensive unit. Without merging with the invading army, he was sent to protect Angol-po during the Siege of Ulsan. However, since he was concerned for his Mōri allies, his original plan to head to Busan was changed to guard Goseong Castle. He presumably participated in the defense of Waeseong or Goseong. He did not participate in battle for the majority of the campaigns as he was regulated to serve as reinforcements or ordered to take defensive positions. After Hideyoshi died, the Japanese fleet ordered a full-scale retreat. Muneshige assisted Shimazu Yoshihiro's fleet and they were able to retrieve their stranded ally from Chen Lin and Yi Sun-sin's naval forces. Although he disliked Ishida Mitsunari, Muneshige served the Western army due to his loyalties to the departed Hideyoshi. He gave his men the choice to depart for whichever side and only a single house elder left to join the Eastern army. To this end, he swore to them that they would fight for unconditional victory and marched his armies into Ise Province. He joined the siege to take Ōtsu Castle with a 15,000 man army. On October 13, 1600, he fought with Kyōgoku Takatsugu. His army mainly used rifle troops, in which he stationed the gunners to theoretically reload three times faster than normal. Muneshige was unable to fight at the Battle of Sekigahara due to the siege and, when news of Ieyasu's victory reached their ears, the Western army abandoned Ōtsu Castle. After his troops withdrew, Muneshige wanted to defend Osaka Castle. Mōri Terumoto advised him to drop the idea due to Ieyasu's inevitable invasion and suggested a hasty retreat back to Yanagawa. Muneshige agreed but he unexpectedly met one of the men indirectly responsible for his fathers' deaths, Shimazu Yoshihiro, at the docks. Yoshihiro, who had already retreated from Sekigahara and with few men remaining, confronted Muneshige and offered his head by saying, "This is the only chance you'll get to avenge your real father." Contrary to the general's expectations, Muneshige replied, "Slaughtering a defeated army is not an honor for any samurai", and worked together with Yoshihiro to escape safely back to their respective homes. As thanks, a small Shimazu vanguard escorted Muneshige back to Yanagawa. It wasn't long until his home was attacked by Katō Kiyomasa, Nabeshima Naoshige and Kuroda Josui. Bravely leading an army of 32,000 against 40,000, Muneshige split his army into two factions and gave each of his officers at least 3,000 to fight with. Despite earning a few bouts of early success, supplies depleted quickly and casualties became high. Muneshige, though also wounded during the conflict, was able to spring a final surprise attack to save his men. By the end of the struggle, he lost several of his clansmen and had to be supported to his horse when he retreated to Yanagawa Castle. Though greatly fatigued, he was prepared to resist his home's invaders. Naoshige first led an offensive strike, but eventually Kiyomasa and Josui decided to persuade their foe to surrender. Muneshige relented after several attempts. He was stripped of his lands and became a rōnin. As a side note, Yoshihiro had returned to his home and, as a sign of gratitude, he sent troops to reinforce Yanagawa. Sadly, by the time they arrived, the Tachibana were already on their third day of surrender. As a rōnin, Kiyomasa and Maeda Toshinaga regretted to see his talents go to waste and offered him service. He refused all offers but Kiyomasa continued to fight for Muneshige's recognition to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1603, the shogunate gave Muneshige 5,000 koku and allowed him to become a daimyo once more. By 1610, he received 35,000 koku and was formally introduced to Ieyasu. Though it was hard to convince him to join the front, Ieyasu ordered Muneshige to assist the Siege of Osaka. He served under Tokugawa Hidetada's troops and clashed with Mori Katsunaga. He was awarded his old territory and 109,200 koku by the shogunate in 1620. With this, he was able to reestablish himself as a feudal lord. He became one of Tokugawa Iemitsu's mentors, educating the future shogun during his youth. Since Muneshige immersed himself in the arts and culture in Edo, he hardly had time to return to his original home. He was able to establish a go-between and worked with the local lords to maintain peace in his absence. He showed his bravery and battle prowess a final time during the Shimabara Rebellion in 1637. After his service, he passed on clan leadership and properties to his adopted son, Tadashige. He died in his local residence in Edo during 1643. He had three wives but no children. He was 76 years old at the time of his death. Two graves were made for him. One stands in Nerima, Tokyo at Kōtoku-ji and the other is at Komaki, Aichi near Fukugon-ji. Gallery Muneshige_animedesign.jpg|Tachibana Muneshige's character design in the anime version. Muneshige_pspdesign.jpg|Tachibana Muneshige's character sprite in the Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon PORTABLE PSP game. References Category:Characters Category:Human Characters Category:Citizens of Tres España Category:Students of Alcalá de Henares Category:Citizens of Musashi Category:Students of Musashi Ariadust Academy Category:Musashi Ariadust Academy Chancellor's Board Members Category:Male Characters